Looking for parents/relatives of William Meldrum

[aron75]

William Meldrum, born in Fyvie in about 1816.  Cannot find on 1841 census.  Appears on 1851 New Deer census with wife Jane Jamieson.  Marriage document dated to 1849 to both Old Deer and New Deer.  Immigrated to USA in abt 1855.  Children born in Scotland were Ann Meldrum 1851, Jane or Jean or Janie Meldrum 1852 and Elsie Meldrum 1854.  Seeking parents/siblings of William.

Only Meldrum I can find on 1841 living in Fyvie is a Robert Meldrum b 1801.  Could he be an older brother or an uncle?

Thanks in advance!

[eilthireach]

Unfortunately, there is no William Meldrum of around the right age that is living at home at the time of the 1841 Census. There is a William Meldrum (recorded as Wm.) Meldrum, agricultural labourer, aged 20 [i.e., within the age range 20-24 - ages of those aged 15 and over were rounded down in the 1841 Census returns], who might be your William. He is enumerated at Linshart, Longside, in the household of Charles ("Chas" ) Ferguson, a farmer, in the 1841 Census returns.
The "marriage document" that you refer to will actually be not the marriage itself but the banns, which, as the bride and groom were from different parishes, had to be called in both parishes. Have you looked at these? I am not familiar with Old Parochial Records from that area but you may be lucky and find the parents (or at least the father) mentioned in the entries.  If you are close to a Family History Library they will be able to order the relevant microfilms for you, failing which you can consult them on <a href="http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk">ScotlandsPeople</a>, the official government site (a pay-per-view service).

[rosie17]

On the freecen census there is a William Meldrum aged 25yrs born outside the census country occupation Arg; Lab; at Long Acre Aberdeen ..1841 Ancestry transcription error down as William Mildren

[aron75]

Thank you both for your replies.  I have seen the marriage records on ancestry and familysearch.org.  I do happen to live close to a Family Learning Center.  But the record online is mostly blank; while there is a space for "father" and "mother" and so forth, these are blank.  Is it possible the microfilm will show this information?  I happened to scan through all the marriages for New and Old Deer, selecting marriages at random.  NONE of them listed parents.  Do you think this information is left off the online sites?  If there's a chance the information is in the microfilm, I'll look into it for sure.  Just don't want to throw away money if you know for a fact it won't be there if it doesn't show on the online records.  I fear the only remaining course for me to take is to either begin throwing money at ordering records, or going to Scotland myself to research--which I'd love to do if I could!  Thank you for your help!

[flst]

Welcome to rootschat. Before you go any further in your research & and start spending any money, please read about Scottish Resources here on rootschat. If you look on Scotland - General, scroll down the page until you come across the topics on scotlandspeople, births, marriages & deaths etc.
The marriage records you have been viewing are from the Old Parish Records, before statutory registration began in Scotland. That is why you did not find parent's names mentioned. They are also the index to the records on microfilm. If you look at the actual records on microfilm you may see actual place names (as opposed to just the parish name). Scotlandspeople is the only site where you can view the original records online. It is good value for money but as I suggested, read all about it first
Hope this helps,
flst

[aron75]

Thank you flst.  I did read over all the information you suggested.  I do believe I am at the point where my only avenue of further research is the purchasing of records.  I do have an LDS library very close to me.  I have never used one.  In your estimation, would the marriage or bann record I could obtain on microfilm from the LDS have more, less, or the same information that scotlandspeople would have?  I did go to scotlandspeople and searched for the marriage or bann record, and the website did find an entry.  I'd have to pay 1 credit to view it.  Supposing I paid the money, I could view, but not actually have the document--is that right?  The document itself would cost more credits, correct?  And that document could potentially list more information than what I already see on ancestry and familysearch?  Why might that be?  Scotland won't release the  information?  Just curious.  Before purchase, I'd like to know if there is a resonable chance of finding more information for the SAME document that I can find for free on the other sites (well, I pay for ancestry).

[GR2]

Any New Deer or Old Deer marriage records I have from that period do not give any details of parents (although details in entries can vary). Assuming Ann is their first child, then they have not committed "antenuptial fornication", so the kirk session minutes would not help either.

There are two gravestones at Fyvie mentioning a Meldrum, the one which might be a relative says:

Erected by William Meldrum carrier in memory of his spouse Agnes Stephen d. 1 Nov. 1820 aged [44?]

[aron75]

Thank you GR2.  Where did you find the grave inscription?

Most likley, but not for sure then, there is probably no reason to purchase the marriage document, whether it be the LDS microfilm or the scotlandspeople record?

Could there be any other avenue of research?  Church parish records or the like?

[loobylooayr]

Hi Aron75,
Scotlands People holds the original record , in this case the Old Parish Record of a marriage.
Any info on Anc**try or at Familysearch (LDS) regarding the marriage/banns would have come from the original record.
It would take 6 credits ( £1.40) on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk to view the original handwritten entry from 1849 and once viewed you would always have access to it. However it may not give you a great deal of info that you don't already have.
Scotlands People is the official BMD website for Scotland and holds Church Parish records as well as the Statutory registrations (post 1855).
Looby